Heart Legacy Read online

  “I keep telling myself that she just can’t get much better, but with every book she amazes and surprises me!”—The Best Reviews

  Praise for the futuristic fantasy of

  Robin D. Owens,

  Winner of the 2002 RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance by the Romance Writers of America

  “Another terrific tale from the brilliant mind of Robin D. Owens. Don’t miss it.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “A taut mixture of suspense and action . . . that leaves you stunned.”

  —Smexy Books

  “Sexy, emotionally intense, and laced with humor.”

  —Library Journal

  “Each story is as fresh and new as the first one was.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “[A] wonderfully imaginative series.”

  —Romance Junkies

  “The romance is passionate, the characters engaging, and the society and setting exquisitely crafted.”

  —Booklist

  “Maintaining the ‘world building’ for science fiction and character-driven plot for romance is near impossible. Owens does it brilliantly.”

  —TRRC Reading

  “[Owens] provides a wonderful, gripping mix of passion, exotic futuristic settings, and edgy suspense. If you’ve been waiting for someone to do futuristic romance right, you’re in luck, Robin D. Owens is the author for you.”

  —Jayne Castle, author of Siren’s Call

  “Engaging characters, effortless world building, and a sizzling romance make this a novel that’s almost impossible to put down.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “Owens paints a world filled with characters who sweep readers into an unforgettable adventure with every delicious word, every breath, every beat of their hearts. Brava!”

  —Deb Stover, award-winning author of Almost an Angel

  Titles by Robin D. Owens

  HEARTMATE

  HEART THIEF

  HEART DUEL

  HEART CHOICE

  HEART QUEST

  HEART DANCE

  HEART FATE

  HEART CHANGE

  HEART JOURNEY

  HEART SEARCH

  HEART SECRET

  HEART FORTUNE

  HEART FIRE

  HEART LEGACY

  GHOST SEER

  GHOST LAYER

  Anthologies

  WHAT DREAMS MAY COME

  (with Sherrilyn Kenyon and Rebecca York)

  HEARTS AND SWORDS

  An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  This book is an original publication of Penguin Random House LLC.

  Copyright © 2015 by Robin D. Owens.

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  BERKLEY SENSATION® and the “B” design are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  For more information, visit penguin.com.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-60495-3

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Owens, Robin D.

  Heart legacy / Robin D. Owens. — Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition.

  p. cm. — (Celta ; 13)

  ISBN 978-0-425-26397-6 (softcover)

  1. Life on other planets—Fiction. 2. Man-woman relationships—Fiction. 3. Paranormal romance stories. I. Title.

  PS3615.W478H46 2015

  813'.6—dc23

  2015025739

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / November 2015

  Cover art by Tony Mauro.

  Cover design by George Long.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Version_1

  To the Writers of the Hand (Hotel):

  I couldn’t have done this without you. Thanks and blessings and Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.

  Contents

  Praise for the futuristic fantasy of Robin D. Owens

  Titles by Robin D. Owens

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Characters

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Characters

  Draeg Betony-Blackthorn’s Family:

  Note: Draeg is undercover as Draeg Hedgenettle.

  Corax: Draeg’s new raven Familiar Companion

  Straif T’Blackthorn: adoptive father, FirstFamily GrandLord, tracker (hero of Heart Choice)

  Tinne Holly: cousin to Straif T’Blackthorn, Draeg’s adoptive father. Concerned about the old Yew threats against his Family (hero of Heart Fate)

  Ilex Winterberry: cousin by marriage to Draeg through Mitchella Clover D’Blackthorn, Chief of all the Druida City Guards (police) and formally in charge of the investigation (hero of Heart Quest)

  Mitchella Clover D’Blackthorn: adoptive mother, interior designer, FirstFamily GrandLady (heroine of Heart Choice)

  Antenn Blackthorn-Moss: adoptive brother, architect and inhabitant of the Turquoise House (hero of Heart Fire)

  Nico: Draeg’s full brother

  Vesus: Draeg’s full brother

  Loridana Itha Valerian D’Yew’s Family:

  Baccat: Lori’s cat Familiar Companion

  The Yew Residence: the sentient manor house

  Cuspid Yew: a distant cousin, a generation older than Lori, maître de maison; he and Folia Yew and the Residence run the staff of the Residence and preside over the Family

  Folia Yew: thirty-something unmarried housekeeper

  Vi Yew: daughter of Cuspid Yew, twin of Zus, about a year and a half older than Lori

  Zus Yew: son of Cuspid Yew, twin of Vi, about a year and a half older than Lori

  Everyone who lives on the Yew estate and works in the Residence are Family members.

  Lori’s Stridebeasts (two of six named):

  Semper

/>   Cana

  The Horses:

  Smyrna

  Ragan

  Others:

  Cal Marigold: boy who is the reincarnation of Draeg’s mentor, Tab Holly

  Cratag Maytree T’Marigold: Cal’s father, an ex-merchant guard (hero of Heart Change)

  Garrett Primross: private investigator, informally in charge of the investigation (hero of Heart Secret)

  Nuin Ash: Heir of the Ashes, son of GreatLord Rand T’Ash and Danith Mallow, friend of Draeg, a Fire Mage

  Lahsin Holly: Lori’s grandfather’s (MotherSire’s) ex-wife, Lahsin Yew; now Tinne Holly’s wife

  Marin Holly: younger child of Tinne Holly and Lahsin Holly

  Anthema Mayweed: Lori’s chance-met new acquaintance

  GreatLord Rand T’Ash: jeweler, blacksmith, Flair tester (hero of HeartMate); his Fam is Zanth

  GrandLady D’Grove: Captain of the FirstFamily Council

  Avellana Hazel: youngest child of the Hazels, HeartMate to Muin (Vinni), T’Vine, holographic artist

  GreatLord Muin (Vinni) T’Vine: the prophet of Celta

  One

  CELTA,

  424 years after colonization by Earth, Druida City, late winter

  I want you to go undercover as a spy at the Yew estate.” Tinne Holly, one of the best fighters on Celta, prowled his sparring salon, his bare feet making no sound on the wooden floor.

  Wiping the sweat from his torso with a towel, Draeg Betony-Blackthorn watched the older man. He’d had to use all his strength, guile, and skill to keep their match even. “I take that statement to mean that the guards of Druida City didn’t consider the button you found beneath the failed balcony as evidence.”

  Scowling, Tinne made a cutting gesture. “The button is inscribed with Yew leaves. The only enemies my wife and daughter—who could have died when that balcony gave way—have are the Yews. But the guards say the button isn’t evidence. Who else would have Yew buttons?”

  Draeg raised his brows. “No one received a psychic impression that it came from the Yews. No one could date that button, either. And how many shops might have old Holly buttons?”

  “Don’t know.” Tinne waved that away.

  Draeg shook his head. “Go undercover on the Yew estate? As far as I know, the Yews are completely self-sufficient. Not one of them has taken their place in FirstFamily Druida society.” And the FirstFamilies, the descendants of the Earthan colonists that had funded the journey to Celta, comprised the highest status on the planet. Another disbelieving shake. “You really think the Yews have allied with the fanatic fringe of the Traditionalist Stance?”

  “Yes, the Yews are the most conservative Family, and the Traditionalist Stance prizes old ways.”

  “That’s a leap of logic,” Draeg said.

  Tinne’s face set. “Accidents are happening, mostly targeted at children. It’s the Traditionalist Stance behind them.” His shoulders straightened. “That political party wishes to preserve the status quo and is against Commoners testing to become Nobles, or moving up the social ladder in any other way. Commoners who have access to the strongest Flaired people in the world, the FirstFamilies. People who shape society and the world. That can cause a lot of resentment in those from older Families who haven’t been able to climb so high, that Commoners are better connected than Nobles who’ve had titles for three or even four centuries. And Commoner women like Danith Mallow and Mitchella Clover have married into the highest strata.”

  “They’re HeartMates of FirstFamily Lords, fated mates,” Draeg protested.

  “They’re Commoner women who have married FirstFamily Lords, borne children of mixed blood, Noble and Commoner.”

  Draeg’s mouth dropped open at the wrongness of that statement. “Nobody cares—”

  “Borne children with odd Flair, perhaps. Borne children who might be mutants.”

  “We’re all fliggering mutants here on Celta. Probably were on old Earth, too. Nobody cares about blood.” Draeg’s words exploded, his body primed again to fight.

  “Most people care about the strength of Flair, true, but I think those of the Traditionalist Stance care about mixing Noble and Commoner blood. And I think that movement has fanatics, and I think the Yews are mixed up with them, wanting to get back into political power, maybe.”

  “That’s crazy!” Draeg objected.

  “That’s fanaticism.”

  Draeg scrubbed dried sweat from his face, then looked at Tinne. “You really believe this.”

  “I really do.” Tinne’s jaw flexed.

  Draeg allowed himself a couple of paces, too. “Why me?”

  “You’re wasted here as an instructor. You should be doing more.”

  “Like spying on the Yews?” Draeg asked drily.

  “Like working with your adoptive father with the T’Blackthorn guards.” Tinne’s white-blond brows came down. “And staying off the streets of Druida at night, looking for and finding trouble.”

  Draeg snorted, threw the towel aside. “Don’t lecture me. And get someone else to handle this Yew business.”

  Tinne’s pewter gaze drilled into Draeg. “And you are good for this job because you hired out as a mercenary guard and traveled protecting merchants. You know stridebeasts and horses.”

  “I know stridebeasts.”

  Tinne shrugged. “You can learn horses.”

  “What’s horses have to do with anything?”

  “The Sallow Family say that they’ve been contacted by the Yews, who are considering buying horses. The Yews want a stableman and horse trainer.” Tinne’s lips curved in a thin smile. “And a man who knows stridebeasts.”

  “Stableman,” Draeg said, but he liked animals.

  “The Sallows will work with you until you know horses well.”

  “Huh.”

  “And I’ll remind you that your oldest adoptive brother is a Commoner and has thwarted the Traditionalist Stance before. He’d be on the list of people to remove, too.”

  Draeg’s skin chilled. “No.”

  “Think not?” Tinne settled into his balance and stared at Draeg, and waited.

  “I’ll do it.”

  “Good.”

  Four weeks later, D’Yew estate within the walls of Druida City, early spring

  You should not be visualizing My FamWoman naked.

  Draeg Betony-Blackthorn jolted at the disapproving mental voice in his head and slid his gaze around the stable courtyard to see who might have spoken to him telepathically. He’d had a fleeting nude vision of FirstFamily GrandLady D’Yew, imagined from when he’d seen her and the cat slip out of the estate at night.

  The cat!

  Loridana is MINE. Not yours. You do not get to have her in any way, shape, or form. You keep your lascivious thoughts to yourself. The male cat’s mental order rang in Draeg’s head. He zeroed in on the large gray tabby Familiar Companion. The tom sat in a patch of morning spring sunlight on the wooden bench outside the stable.

  I haven’t met you before, Draeg sent back. He didn’t think anyone was checking up on him from the Residence, watching in the trees, like they had been the first week he’d been here on the Yew estate. Still, it was better to be safe and answer the cat with his mind than talk to it aloud.

  As far as he knew, the Yews believed him to be a man with low Flair, psi power, whom they’d hired to take care of the stables.

  He studied the cat with narrowed eyes. Draeg hadn’t met many Fams strong enough to pick up images from his mind. He’d have to watch that.

  And what else might the cat know? Both with regard to what he’d pluck from Draeg’s lax mental shields . . . and, yeah, Draeg might be able to pump the feline about the people in the Residence, and Loridana D’Yew, the FirstFamily GrandLady.

  With a bespelled broom, Draeg continued to damp-sweep the red flagstoned courtyard in between the U of three brick stable blocks, only one in good shape. I just have your word that you are the Fam of FirstFamily GrandLady D’Yew. He added a mocking note to his mental voic
e. That is what you’re saying, right? That you’re her Fam? If so, why aren’t you with her?

  The cat glared at him with unblinking yellow eyes and hissed, his nose lifting. The Residence is unpleasant and disagreeable and mean. The Family is similarly so. I do not like them. A short pause. WE do not like them, My FamWoman Loridana and I.

  Draeg figured that meant that the Residence, an intelligent manor house, could sense the cat within its walls and didn’t want the tom inside.

  He got a blurred image from the Fam’s mind of the cat getting kicked, and Draeg stilled. He didn’t think he was supposed to have received that. Interesting. He might be able to receive more from the Fam’s mind now and then. Useful for his mission. Which was to find out who in the Yew household had hooked up with the Traditionalist Stance fanatics and was engineering “accidents” for some of the younger members of the FirstFamilies, most particularly the Yews’ enemies, the Hollys.

  The cat leapt from the bench and strolled around Draeg, nose raised and sniffing.

  Draeg leaned on his broom; the courtyard looked good. So you’re not allowed into the Residence, huh? Where have you been hiding?

  Jumping once more onto the bench, the cat circled and sent, I reside in My very own shed in the garden that only Loridana and I use. It is My particular territory.

  Pretty fancy words for a FamCat.

  My previous companion, a scholarly professor, raised Me from a kitten. I am an EXCEPTIONAL Fam.

  Draeg snorted. Cats always believed that. Yet you do not live in the Residence.

  The Fam just sniffed.

  Draeg continued, From what I understand, the Yew Family doesn’t allow the young GrandLady much independence. It was a deduction, and a leading statement to lure the Fam into talking about the woman. But it was based on the fact that Draeg had watched her leave the estate at night and followed her into Druida City proper four times in the two weeks he’d been here.

  Like all FirstFamily estates, the Yew land was situated within the Druida City walls, but in a portion called “Noble Country,” with the more populated areas to the east.

  Unlike other members of the Family, Draeg hadn’t seen her leave the Residence at any time other than late at night. He didn’t think the rest of the Family knew of her nocturnal rambles.